Working with documents (i.e., any type of file or data structure that includes other data) typically involves working with various types of objects (e.g., data that, when rendered, generates graphics, images, photos, text, multimedia, or other content or information) embedded or otherwise included within documents. Different types of documents and objects often involve managing overlapping objects (i.e., the objects are stacked or are configured so as to overlap partially, substantially, or entirely) using authoring, editing, or other types of applications. However, conventional solutions are problematic.
Some conventional solutions used for object design, editing, or authoring are problematic in that users must individually isolate or deconstruct a stack or group of objects in order to select and edit a particular object. Users must move or re-arrange overlapping objects in order to isolate an object in order to select the object and modify any associated attributes. Experienced users often use a combination of keyboard hot keys and mouse events (i.e., “clicks”) to traverse the hierarchy of a stack of objects. However, this requires a significant amount of user experience and expertise. Thus, conventional solutions to isolate and modify attributes of objects are time and labor-intensive when working with content such as overlapping objects. Further, when additions, deletions, or other modifications are made to objects or documents, conventional solutions do not provide the ability to preview these modifications. In other words, conventional solutions are also problematic due to a lack of ability to preview changes before being made to a document or object. If a user is editing objects within a document, the user must first make the changes before deciding whether they are desirable (i.e., to keep them). If the changes are not desirable, a user must undo the changes, resulting in lost and unnecessary time and effort. In other words, conventional solutions do not allow users to preview changes in a time and labor-efficient manner.
Thus, a solution for performing operations on objects in documents without the limitations of conventional techniques is needed.